"Those Sons-a-Bitches made me fat!"

[#hamler]

Well, when I started the first draft for this thread, I was going to make it about McDonald's and other fast food restaurants making people fat and overweight, and people blaming said restaurant when they realize the terrible defect it's had on their lives. But I then realized this goes far beyond that. Individuals blaming the Cigarette companies for types of cancers, or even TV Stations being taken to court over a scene of violence on tv causing their children to harm themselves. People are getting out of hand with this whole court thing.

Take this for example.

A North Carolina man, Wendell Williamson went on a rampage in North Carolina that killed two people and later pocketed $500,000 after successfully suing his psychiatrist for imperfect treatment

OR

Taylor, who stabbed her 4-year-old son, Zachary, two dozen times is suing her obstetricians and psychiatrists for not sufficiently taming her psychosis. Prior to the attack, Taylor took an overdose of medicine and told neighbors that Zachary was the "Anti-Christ." The violence left the boy with two punctured lungs, scalp wounds and a severed jugular vein.

Not much to say here, other than people need to own up and take responsibilty sometimes. Basically, Long story short, people are getting out of control when it comes to blaming other people for their own mistakes. Which leads me to the dicussion questions;


--Can an individual blame their mistakes on anyone but themsleves?

--If an individual suffers a some kind of injury because of their unhealthy habbits or even mistakes, would you sue? Is it right to sue?

--Can you see the side of the argument that blames advertisement in the case of being overweight or unhealthy?

--If not explained above, what are your thoughts on all of this...uh...shit?


As always, here's a picture.

Spoiler

Discuss this shit.

 

[Richard]

With anything, fast food, cigarettes etc the missues and abuse of these ultimately comes down to the person's choice.

I was living independantly and earning minimum wage but I didn't always rely on fast food because it was cheap and quick. I hate it when people use that excuse. It's not that hard to shop smart and make healthy, informed choices. It's just people who don't give a fuck about their health until they don't have their health anymore to use.

People need to take responsibility for themselves and their own actions, especially in the case mentioned about the mother stabbing her own kids.

If a baby sitter is minding a toddler while the parents are out, and the toddler runs onto the street and gets killed because the baby sitter was watching tv or on the phone to their boyfriend, do you blame the kid for running out? No, you blame the baby sitter for gross negligence, you don't blame the toddler. The baby sitter had ULTIMATE responsibility and has failed in their duty, just like that parent who stabbed her son.

A severly overweight person should not be allowed to sue a fast food company for "making them fat". I do eat more fast food than I should and I am cutting back, but guess what? I'm still skinny as, probably only just over 50kg which is wierd, but I just have a high metabolism. Someone who has a low metabolism and notices that they start putting on weight easily should have enough common sense and enough of a brain to stop and think to themselves "Shit, this isn't good" and if not stop 100% then try and cut back as much as possible and if they absolutely have to have it, then walk to their and back once a fortnight as a treat for working hard at work or something.

Edit: Also, I remember a case maybe a year or two ago where a kid jumped out a window and died and it so happened their faveourite wrestler was Jeff Hardy? Does anyone else remember that? There is no way the parents should have blamed WWE for that. The parents should sit down their children and explain to them that they train for it and that because they wrestle on TV, they don't all go wrestling in their backyards when they get home on their days off and the parents should have been watching over their kid and making sure the kid who lived in a high rise apartment didn't have access to a window that could be fully opened without bars or protection of some sort. Parents fault.

 

[LigerBomb]

--Can an individual blame their mistakes on anyone but [themselves]?

As per your examples they apparently can. The real question then is should they? And the obvious answer to that is "it depends". No two cases are exactly alike and there are different factors and percentages of motivating/mitigating circumstances that are ultimately responsible for a person making a choice to do (or not do) something.

As for your second set of questions—which you should really proof read btw—regarding the correctness of pursuing litigation: Again, "it depends". Now I'm not trying to flippant with my response but I must say that there is certainly a time and a place for litigation (especially those based upon claims of mal/mis/nonfeasance). Currently, w/o being able to say exactly how much is "too much", I have to admit there are far too many cases where such litigation is flat out absurd. Many are simply a waste of everyone's time and money. That said, it's up to a judge and jury to deem cases as such, thereby hopefully establishing the precedents that will over time ultimately limit such wasteful claims in the first place.

--Can you see the side of the argument that blames advertisement in the case of being overweight or unhealthy?

Yes I can. Although by claiming such I tend to feel you're also admitting to your own simple-mindedness.

--If not explained above, what are your thoughts on all of this...uh...shit?

What's there to say really? Is it any wonder, and should we be collectively surprised, when people who makes poor life choices blame others for their own misfortunes? Some of the core tenets of sound judgment and careful decision-making are thoughtfulness and personal responsibility; ipso-facto, those who lack such traits most certainly will have a difficult—if not outright impossible—time blaming themselves for their own failings.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think its bullshit that a person can even begin to think of suing a company for their personal misfortune when the negative impacts of using that product are well known, both to the general public and the individual themselves.

McDonalds is fast food. It isnt healthy, which is a shame as I LOVE McDonalds food, and shouldnt be eaten on a regular basis by someone who is concerned with staying fit and healthy. Just as pizzas, crisps, sugary drinks, ice cream, chocolate etc isnt good for you. It is fine to eat in moderation as part of a healthy diet but if you over-eat that particular kind of food, then you will get overweight and unhealthy.

No-one is forcing you to eat that, and it isnt like the potential side-effects of fast-food consumption are hidden. Same with alcohol and cigarettes, they have negative effects on your health, and while these 2 products can be addictive, the negatives are well publicised and you know what you are getting yourself into when you start abusing them.

People need to take responsiblity for their own actions. I drink in moderation, as many people do and even if I ever got fat through drinking too much (which is very unlikely as I am naturally slim and I would never let myself get that way), it would be my fault and mine alone. Same with cigarettes. I smoke a couple most days because I enjoy it, and I am not addicted. I can go days and days without needing to smoke. I light up every now and again for pleasure, not need. However, if at some point in my life I started smoking 80 a day and ended up ill through smoking, whose fault would it be? Mine. I know it isnt good for me, I ensure I have never become dependent on it and I know the risks it entails.

As if someone in this day and age can claim not to know the dangers of smoking, drinking or eating fast food. It is a complete lie and unbelievable that these cases even go to court. The cigarette packets tell you its bad, there are enough anti-alcohol adverts that tell you its bad, are these people deluded, living in a bubble, or just trying to get every last penny from their misfortune? I believe it is the last one

 

[Mustang Sally]

Not much to say here, other than people need to own up and take responsibilty sometimes.

Do they? As long as juries are so busy dripping with sympathy for these apparent "victims," why shouldn't the lawyers make a fortune for their clients by encouraging the abdication of personal responsibility? If you can do damage to yourself for years and make a ton of money by blaming someone else for it....why not go ahead and sue? It's the American way.

There have always been frivolous lawsuits, but the two that topped all were: The one against McDonald's, in which an elderly woman won a huge cash award because a jury believed McDonald's failed to "tell" her that she shouldn't carry a cup of hot coffee between her thighs.

I thought that was the granddaddy of them all until I read the case of a man who burglarized a citizen's house at 2AM. As he was leaving, the homeowner shot him. Yes, the robber was convicted of burglary, but he successfully sued the homeowner for wounding him and collected money for it.

I could not freakin' believe it! The jury (sympathetic souls that they were) believed the homeowner used unnecessary force in shooting a man who was plainly leaving the house, apparently feeling there was no need to hurt the poor guy. Personally, if someone has invaded my home at 2AM and I'm all bleary eyed from being asleep, I'm not concerned with what the bastard's intentions are.....I'm taking whatever steps I can to save my family. After all, I don't know he's just there to rob the place; maybe he's already hurt one of my kids before I saw him.

But my chief complaint here is that the burglar profited from committing a crime. If the police want to prosecute the homeowner for taking "unnecessary" action, that's one thing (although it would still stink). But for a person to be awarded money that he would not have gotten had he not been involved in unlawful activity is one of the most shameful things I've ever heard. In other words, the burglar wouldn't have been shot if he hadn't been committing a crime at the time.

That case proved to me that there is no end to instances in which we don't take personal responsibility for our actions.....and that we may even be handsomely rewarded for blaming others for what we do to ourselves.

Is it worth suing a fast food restaurant for "forcing" you to grow obese from willingly consuming their products?

Hell, yeah. You might be able to win a large enough cash award to keep you in Quarter Pounders with Cheese for the rest of your life.

 

[Xemmy]

--Can an individual blame their mistakes on anyone but themsleves?

No. Not if they're compitent enough to know that they have made a mistake or have a problem, and were capable of actually doing something about. And even if it's something like psychosis, that can't be blamed on other people unless they actually induced your psychosis. Which is rather unlikely.

--If an individual suffers a some kind of injury because of their unhealthy habbits or even mistakes, would you sue? Is it right to sue? I might, if I thought I could actually get money out of it. But no, it's not right to sue. I'm just a greedy asshole. Besides, I wouldn't hurt myself like that in the first place.

--Can you see the side of the argument that blames advertisement in the case of being overweight or unhealthy? No. Everyone can diet, everyone can get there ass up off the couch. If you exercise enough, your diet isn't nearly as big of an issue. And even if that's not enough, it's common knowledge that certain food is unhealthy. So unless that food claims to be good for you, then no.

--If not explained above, what are your thoughts on all of this...uh...shit?

I think people are sue happy, and even if they take responsiblity in their own minds, money is the name of the game. And people should get up off their asses and take some responsibilty for their actions regardless.

 

[Pole Smoker]

Can an individual blame their mistakes on anyone but themselves?

No. It is their choice to eat there in the first place. If they don't want to be fat then skip McDonald's and have a healthy meal. They need to take responsibility for their own actions and make the right choice.

If an individual suffers some kind of injury because of their unhealthy habits or even mistakes, would you sue? Is it right to sue?

I would personally sue but only if I was guaranteed cash. It probably is not right to sue though because you should use these thing's responsibly and not just blame them for you eating 6 burgers.

Can you see the side of the argument that blames advertisement in the case of being overweight or unhealthy?

No because they should be responsible enough to not eat there. Fast food restaurants encourage kids to eat there which is terrible but again it is the parent's responsibility to make sure that their kids don't eat there often.

If not explained above, what are your thought's on all of this...uh...shit?

People are irresponsible and stupid enough these day's to stuff fast food down their face and get fat. They should think of their health and stop mindlessly overeating.

 

[Max Headroom]

Well well well, another case of how pathetic the human race can be. I swear it's embarassing to say we are of thhe same being as these idiots.

Can an individual blame their mistakes on anyone but themselves?

Apparently, yes they can, and it's ridiculous. It's the persons own fault for eating the friggin food, and the GROWN woman stabbed her kid!? She should be put in the chair by.

It's the peoples own fault, but the people cannot admit to it. It's disgusting how much people can get away with. I seen some weird cases listed above and i'll add one: A man robbed a store owned by an old chinese man, and was caught on tape. The Chinese man then gets his bigger, younger (obviously) son to work with him at the store. The same man comes back and robs the store again, when leaving the two Chinese men jumped him (didn't beat him up, just restrained him), tied his arms, and put him in the back of their van until the cops arrived so he wouldn't get away. When took to court, the two Chinese men get charged with asault and wrongful confinement? Fucking stupid stuff in this world man.

In short, idiots will be idiots, we can't kill em' off, we got to deal with them, sadly. They will always try to put the blame on someone else cause they cannot handle it themselves.

If an individual suffers some kind of injury because of their unhealthy habits or even mistakes, would you sue? Is it right to sue?

No, and no. If anything happened to me because of MY habits, then I have to deal with it myself, not blame someone else because it seems possible. Also, it is not right to sue a company for that. You're fat, and you eat alot of McDonalds, so what? Go work out you lazy bastard. Also, you sue cause you burned yourself from coffee? (BTW when I say "you" I'm not reffering to anyone whom posted, just some imaginative dummy) Well last time I checked, your coffee is hot, and it says "caution hot" on the cup for the morons who don't know coffee is hot. Again, this world is flooded with stupid people and it's a sin.

Can you see the side of the argument that blames advertisement in the case of being overweight or unhealthy?

Hell no. They eat it, it's their fault. If it said "eat this and you'll turn skinny" than sure, but that's not the case unless your Subway. Anyone who does that is just a jackass trying to feel better about themselves or make some extra money.

If not explained above, what are your thought's on all of this...uh...shit?

I think I explained myself above, and if not your one word explains it all. SHIT.

 

[GetsHeat]

I don't think you can blame anyone but the person, but it's not really hard to see why so many people are overweight. If you've ever looked once at some of the fat content, calorie count, or anything else in some of the meals it's really easy to see how that would catch up to anyone who has it 2-3 times a week. It's also really not just fast food, far too much of the grocery store is horrible for you, and then there are many nasty tricks with serving sizes.

We're also in a situation where both parents are working now, and both when they get home are exhausted from working harder and longer. By the time they get home they are too tired to cook, so they eat out, what's the most affordable, quickest, and easiest option? Fast food, and the cycle begins. I've never seen a study or stats on it, so this is just an observation but it's rarely just a single member of the family being overweight, it's typically the entire family.

What's truly changed is now there isn't a house keeper (and I'm NOT saying woman should stop working and cook) we're more reliant then ever on quick solutions and they are as unhealthy as ever.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

--Can an individual blame their mistakes on anyone but themsleves?

--If an individual suffers a some kind of injury because of their unhealthy habbits or even mistakes, would you sue? Is it right to sue?

--Can you see the side of the argument that blames advertisement in the case of being overweight or unhealthy?

--If not explained above, what are your thoughts on all of this...uh...shit?

If someone were eating nothing but junk food for their entire lives, and they end up unhealthily obese, then no, no one should be blamed but themselves. But I don't think anyone truly believes that fast food and junk food companies are to blame here. I simply believe that we're living in an overly litigious society where people believe they can make money from companies by claiming they're having a negative effect on society.

We see it happen with parents who let the TV raise their children suddenly suing TV shows for influencing their children to do bad things, and you see the same kind of people buying their children junk food day in and day out, and blame companies for forcing them to feed their child garbage.

I think it's absolutely disgusting. It ties in with my belief that parents should have a license in order to reproduce.